Trends and highlights from the Canon stand at IBC 2018

Visitors to the Canon stand at IBC 2018 were able to get hands-on with the latest pro video and broadcast equipment, including the UHD DIGISUPER 122 and UHD DIGISUPER 111 4K Premium field lenses and Canon CJ25ex7.6B 2/3-inch 4K broadcast lens, announced at the event. The full-frame mirrorless EOS R and announced XF705 also proved popular at the touch and try counter.

Tech innovators and broadcasting professionals converged on the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 14 to 18 September for the International Broadcasting Convention 2018. One of the biggest media, entertainment and technology shows in the world, visitors to the event tested the latest products and got to grips with technological advances, gaining valuable insights into the future of broadcasting.

The shift in viewing habits from traditional platforms to digital channels dictated a key theme for the show: tech solutions for a fast-moving market. “IBC presents a great opportunity for us to showcase our broad range of new and existing technologies, but also gives our customers, partners and visitors insight into the innovative new solutions that are currently being developed,” says Professional Imaging and B2B Product Marketing Manager, Stephen Hart-Dyke.

At this year’s IBC show, Canon highlighted its all-encompassing professional imaging range – from input to output. Cameras, lenses and reference displays were set up in touch-and-try areas and, in a workflow zone, Canon staff demonstrated how the Cinema EOS C200’s output – including the Cinema RAW Light format – integrates with existing post-production workflows. Visitors were also shown how the new XF-HEVC codec can be easily integrated and edited in a popular provisional software application, maintaining image quality in a smaller file size.

For those who couldn’t be there, here’s a breakdown of the trends and highlights from the Canon stand at IBC 2018.

1. A 4K future

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Visitors got hands-on with the current 4K/UHD HDR-capable pro video lineup, including the full-frame Cinema EOS C700 FF 5.9K production camera. With the increasing demands for productions to offer the narrowest depth of field and low-noise footage in increasingly lower light, it's only the very latest large-sensor cameras that can deliver the exceptional performance demanded by the most critical cinematographers, and the full-frame Cinema EOS C700 FF is among them.

"As a DOP or video professional, your first priority should always be image quality. If you use the Cinema EOS C700 FF to its fullest extent, you're actually capturing 5.9K RAW, which can be saved as a RAW or oversampled 4K or chosen output resolution. That's a massive amount of data that you can post-process to give the look and feel that you want," says Canon Product Specialist, Paul Atkinson.

2. Rise of the single-user operator

Canon had already responded to the rise of the single user operator with features including the Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus capabilities in the compact Cinema EOS C200. But unveiled at IBC 2018 was the workflow-revolutionising addition to its 20 years of professional camcorders – the Canon XF705.

Equipped with the next-generation HEVC/H.265 codec with the XF-HEVC file format, the XF705 offers 4K UHD 50P 4:2:2 10-bit recording to SD cards, with impressive image quality and superior levels of detail. Combined with a 1.0 type CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV6 processing, the XF705 delivers improved noise performance, sensitivity and cinematic depth of field. With HDR recording in both HLG or PQ the XF705 also features 12G-SDI interface and an ethernet terminal for single cable 4K UHD output and IP streaming.

In recognition of its leading position in the market, the newly-announced XF705 was shortlisted in IBC 2018's Best of Show Awards. Canon also won Red Shark News' Best in Show award for the XF705 and for the full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS R system announced on 5 September.

The Canon XF705 was unveiled at IBC 2018. It was shortlisted in IBC 2018's Best of Show Awards and won Red Shark News' Best in Show award at IBC 2018.

3. Nicolai Brix on workflows and EOS R

Working with 4K footage isn’t without its file size-related challenges, so in post-production and grading zones, technicians demonstrated how to integrate 4K and Canon’s Cinema RAW Light output into your workflow; demonstrating the advantage of the smaller Cinema RAW Light file sizes.

Canon Ambassador and Danish filmmaker Nicolai Brix recently shot a moody, atmospheric film about a boxer in training, using a Cinema EOS C200 and the Cinema RAW Light format. He was also the first filmmaker to shoot with the full-frame mirrorless EOS R, making a documentary with the new System. Nicolai spoke about his experiences with Canon equipment with visitors to the Canon stand.

“New gear is always exciting, but as a storyteller/filmmaker I wanted to make a story about creativity. Of course I wanted to challenge the camera and to challenge the features on the camera, but foremost I want to tell stories," Nicolai said in our Facebook Live interview about his EOS R shoot. “I shot with a recorder 10-bit 4:2:2 so I got an amazing space of tones and colours, and it was really easy to work with. At the same time, the Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus stepped up here.”

4. High luminance reference monitors

Demonstrations were run with the Canon DP-V1711 and Canon DP-V2421 reference monitors, which offer top image quality across their respective 17- and 24-inch displays. The 4K HDR reference displays are designed to be used throughout the production and post-production process – from use on set, in OB vans and for critical colour grading and mastering – offering a true colour profile for accurate grading.

2018 marks Canon's 60th anniversary of making broadcast lenses. A timeline marking some of our innovation highlights was at the Canon stand at IBC 2018.

5. Innovation in the broadcast industry

It was another year of innovation across the show and at the Canon stand, where a diverse range of products made 4K UHD and HDR accessible for everyone from single user operators through to network broadcasters, in keeping with the evolving broadcast industry.

At IBC, Canon celebrated its 60th anniversary of innovation in the broadcast industry and demonstrated its ability to continue to support broadcasters in their transition by revealing its new UHD DIGISUPER 122 and UHD DIGISUPER 111 4K Premium field lenses and Canon CJ25ex7.6B 2/3-inch 4K broadcast lens.

The UHD DIGISUPER 122 can achieve the world’s widest angle, the world’s longest focal length and the world’s highest zoom ratio, while the UHD DIGISUPER 111 offers a long focal length and high zoom ratio for a wide range of shooting scenarios. The Canon CJ25ex7.6B has also been added to Canon’s UHDxs series of portable zoom lenses for 4K broadcast cameras with 2/3-inch sensors, offering a 25x zoom ratio, a focal length range from 7.6mm to 190mm and superb optical performance.

6. A focus on future-proofing

At this year's show, it was revealed that four Canon Cinema EOS cameras have been certified for Netflix's new Post Technology Alliance programme: the Cinema EOS C700 FF, Cinema EOS C700, Cinema EOS C300 Mark II and Cinema EOS C500. "We’re proud to announce that Canon has joined Netflix’s Post Technology Alliance. Canon is committed to innovation in production workflow, and working with Netflix is the perfect example of how we’re supporting the future filmmaking industry,” says Professional Imaging Product Marketing Manager, Stephen Hart-Dyke.